It’s peak season for the North American mushroom industry. Consumption and production starts ramping up in September and continues into the early months of the new year. “Demand spikes tremendously heading into the Holiday Season," says Mark Kreiner with Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms. Starting in the Fall as cooler temperatures prevail, then leading up to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays, people start cooking, eating and entertaining more at home. “First, there is massive holiday consumption and then right after New Year’s Day, many consumers look at resolutions to consume products for a healthier lifestyle. Mushrooms are the perfect consumable for those people wanting to follow a vegan plant-based lifestyle or looking at a Keto or Paleo Diet Plan among others. Overall consumption tends to flatten somewhat after Easter and then rise again in the Fall.
Baby Bella mushrooms.
The varieties that are most consumed during the holiday season are white mushrooms, Baby Bella mushrooms, and Portobello Caps (which are primarily used for stuffing). “It’s traditional varieties like these three that are the most popular leading up to the holidays. We don’t see a similar jump in consumption like this within the exotic mushroom category during the same time,” shared Kreiner.
White button mushrooms being packed.
Next level
While demand is high, the mushroom industry has been witnessing contraction over the last few years. Operation shutdowns continue to occur and Kreiner believes mushroom facilities in North America are seeking more cost- effective ways to grow/pack/ship fresh mushrooms. “First of all, in its present state, it is a very labor-intensive industry. The availability of labor in the US is no longer plentiful like it has been in the past and it’s increasingly challenging to find and retain laborers. In addition, the cost of labor as well as other input costs like compost, peat moss, energy, and water are increasing at high levels.” While it is a difficult road to take, Kreiner sees the need for mushroom operations to move towards more automated systems that require less labor but allow for potentially more output. “We just can’t effectively continue to farm like we have in the past. It will not be an easy task to switch to a different farming style, but one that will eventually have to be made as many farms still remain family-owned and will need infusions of capital to convert and upgrade to continue to grow/pack/ship to meet consumer demand.”
Labor shortage is driving the development of automated harvesting systems. These robots scan the mushroom bed to identify when each mushroom should be picked. After that, the machine picks the mushrooms, trims the stems, and places the produce into a container. Kreiner believes more automation will be implemented in the future and mushroom farms in North America will model European style mushroom farming which has evolved and become more automated over the years out of necessity due to the lack of a large labor pool there.
For more information:
Mark Kreiner
Mother Earth, LLC
Tel: 610-268-5904
[email protected]
www.organicmushrooms.com